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Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559

Global Colloquium in Recent Advancement and Effectual Researches in Engineering, Science and
Technology (RAEREST 2016)

A Survey on Dispersion Management using Optical Solitons in


Optical Communication System
Revathy Nagesha *, Rajesh Mohan Ra, Asha R Sa
Government Model Engineering College, Thrikkakkara, Kochi 682021, India

Abstract

In this paper, the dispersion management in optical communication systems using soliton transmission technique is studied. An
optical soliton is a special kind of light pulse that can be transmitted over fibre optic channel due to the exact compensation
between nonlinearity and linear broadening due to group velocity dispersion. Since the soliton data looks the same at different
distances along the transmission, this technique can be used to overcome the data transmission limitations in Radio over Fibre
(RoF) communication systems. This paper investigates the concepts of dispersion management using solitons in optical fibre. It
analyses the system with and without soliton parameters in terms of Q-factor, pulse broadening and eye diagram. From the
simulation results, it is found that the Q-factor is improved by 77.9751dB for the soliton system. The results show that the pulse
broadening is less in the output spectrum of dispersion managed system. The eye diagrams also show that the noise is minimal
for the system with soliton. The results show that the performance of dispersion managed system with soliton is good.
2016
2015TheTheAuthors.
Authors. Published
Published by by Elsevier
Elsevier Ltd.Ltd.
This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of RAEREST 2016.
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of RAEREST 2016
Keywords:Dispersion Management; GVD; optical solitons; SPM

1. Introduction

Optical fibre communication systems make use of optical fibre as a media for transmitting light from one end to
the other for long distance transmission. The pulses launched into the fibre spread out in time as they propagate
along the fibre length; resulting in dispersion. As a result, the peak power of the pulse decreases and the width
increases. Dispersion thus limits the transmission capacity and reduces the bandwidth. Therefore, dispersion has

* Corresponding author:revathy@mec.ac.in

2212-0173 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of the organizing committee of RAEREST 2016
doi:10.1016/j.protcy.2016.08.144
Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559 553

become a major problem at high bit rates and for long haul optical communication systems. Hence, there is a need to
efficiently manage dispersion in optical communication systems. Optical solitons which retain their shape over the
propagation distance offer a solution to this problem [1].
Optical solitons are localized solitary waves that occur due to the exact balance between nonlinearity, called self
phase modulation (SPM) and linear broadening due to group velocity dispersion (GVD). Solitons are very narrow
optical pulses and are so stable that their shape and velocity are preserved as they propagate along the fibre. Thus,
even after propagating thousands of kilometres, soliton pulses do not spread within the fibre. The power of the
soliton should be retained between specified levels to preserve its dispersion resilient nature in an optical link [2,3].
In the context of nonlinear optics, solitons are classified into two kinds: a) Temporal solitons and b) Spatial
solitons. Both types of soliton evolve due to optical Kerr effect. A pulse propagates with no distortion when exact
compensation is made between negative GVD and positive SPM. If GVD cancels the phase shift produced by the
Kerr effect in the same fibre, the pulse retains its shape and remains undispersed after travelling long distances.
Therefore the concept of solitons is a step forward in the field of optical fibre communication and a promising
technology for ultra-high bit rate transmission in fibres [4,5].
In this paper, the literature review of optical solitons is done. Also, a basic system is modelled with and without
soliton parameters and analysed based on Q-factor, pulse broadening and eye diagram using Optisystem software.

2. Formation of soliton pulses

In order to understand the formation of soliton pulses, it is important to know the propagation of optical pulses
within the fibre in the presence of dispersion and nonlinearity. Hence, this section deals with GVD and SPM.

2.1. Group Velocity Dispersion

Depending upon the number of channels or information carried, any optical signal contains a number of
wavelengths. The group velocity of the signal is a function of wavelength. As the pulse consists of different
wavelengths, each travelling at different velocities, a group delay and hence pulse broadening is experienced as the
pulse propagates through the fibre. The pulse broadening causes overlapping with the adjacent pulses which further
leads to Inter Symbol Interference (ISI) [6,7].
In silica fibres, the zero dispersion wavelength ZD) is 1.31 m. :KHQ  ZD, the GVD is positive and the
fibre H[KLELWV SRVLWLYH RU QRUPDO GLVSHUVLRQ :KHQ  !ZD, the GVD is negative and the fibre is said to exhibit
negative or anomalous dispersion. As a result, higher frequency component of the pulse travels faster than the lower
ones and vice versa for normal dispersive medium.

2.2. Self Phase Modulation

SPM is the change in frequency of an optical pulse due to the phase shift induced by the pulse itself. It occurs
because the refractive index of the fibre depends upon the intensity component. The leading edge of the pulse attains
a positive refractive index gradient, because higher intensity portion of the pulse experiences high refractive index
as it propagates through the fibre. Similarly, trailing edge of the pulse attains a negative refractive index gradient.
Due to this change in refractive index within the pulse, it also experiences a phase change. Since the pulse itself
modulates its own optical phase according to its intensity profile, it is termed as self phase modulation. As frequency
is the derivative of phase shift in time domain, the frequency spectrum of the pulse changes due to SPM. That is, the
leading edge of the pulse shifts to a lower frequency and trailing edge to a higher frequency. Therefore, the
instantaneous frequency linearly increases from leading edge to trailing edge; this phenomenon is termed as upchirp.
This chirping generated due to SPM leads to spectral broadening of the pulse retaining its temporal distribution [8].

2.3. Propagation of soliton pulses in optical fibre

An optical soliton can be generated when GVD is balanced by SPM as discussed above. In this regime, the
physical length L of the optical fibre is such that:
554 Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559

L !! LD and L !! LNL (1)

where, LD and LNL are the dispersion and nonlinearity lengths respectively of the optical fibre given by equations (2)
and (3) as shown below:

T02
LD (2)
| E2 |

1
LNL (3)
J P0

The optical pulse propagating in the fibre is given by Non-Linear Schrodinger (NLS) equation [9,10].When SPM
and GVD are taken into account, NLSE can be written in normalized form as,

wU s w 2U
i  2
 N 2 | U |2 U 0 (4)
wH 2 wW

sgn E 2 and W
2
where, U A / P ,H z / LD , s t /W0 .
Now, equation (4) needs to be normalized in order to obtain the parameter N which is defined as the ratio of
dispersion length to the nonlinearity length,

LD JP0T02
N2 (5)
L NL | E 2 |2

where, N is the order of the soliton, P0 is the peak power and T0 is the width of the incident pulse.
When s = -1, the medium exhibits anomalous GVD and equation (4) is re-written as,

wu 1 w 2u
i  2
 | u |2 u 0 (6)
wH 2 wW

with u  NU as the normalized amplitude. The soliton solution can be found directly by solving (6) and is given by,

u 0,W N sec h W (7)

The fundamental soliton (N=1) can only be generated when the pulse has a shape given by VHFK 7KLVPHDQV
that the dispersion and nonlinearity cancel each other, with nonlinearity length equal to dispersion length, only when
the pulse shape is hyperbolic secant.
The soliton period (Z0), is defined as the length of the propagating nonlinear medium at which a soliton of higher
order repeats its shape and is given by,

S
z0 LD (8)
2
Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559 555

3. Design and simulation

In this section two systems are modeled and simulated with and without soliton parameters.

3.1. Basic system without soliton parameters

A system has been modeled without soliton parameters and the simulation model is shown in Fig. 1. The system
consists of a transmitter section with PRBS generator, laser diode as a light source and Mach Zehnder Modulator,
followed by an optical fibre link and a receiver section. In the proposed system, wavelength of the laser source
chosen is 1550nm for a link length of 27.464km.

Fig. 1.Simulation model for the system without soliton parameters.

3.2. Basic system with soliton parameters

A system with soliton parameters has been modeled and simulated and it is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2.Simulation model for the system with soliton parameters.


556 Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559

The proposed system consists of user defined bit sequence generator and optical sech pulse generator, followed
by an optical fibre and the receiver section. In the proposed system, hyperbolic secant pulse of power 32.68mW is
generated by the optical sech pulse generator at user defined bit rates. The pulse width is kept at 13.2ps at a
wavelength of 1550nm.The sech pulses are then launched into the single mode optical fibre of length 27.464km with
attenuation of 0.2dB/km and dispersion of 1.176ps/nm-km. Table 1 lists the simulation parameters used in the
analysis.

Table 1.Simulation parameters of soliton system.


Parameters Values Unit
Bit Rate 15 Gbps
Power 32.68 mW
Pulse Width 13.2 ps
Dispersion 1.176 ps/nm/km
Wavelength 1550 nm
Length 27.46 Km
Attenuation 0.2 dB/km
Beta 2 -20 ps2/km
Effective Area 60 m2
n2 2.6e-20 m2/W

4. Simulation results and discussion

4.1. Basic system without soliton parameters

The system without soliton parameters is successfully modelled and simulated. Fig. 3 shows the input to the
system and Fig. 4 shows the output signal of the system.

Fig. 3. Input signal for the system without soliton parameters in (a) Frequency domain; (b) Time domain.
Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559 557

Fig. 4.Dispersed output signal for the system without soliton parameters in (a) Frequency domain; (b) Time domain.

Fig. 4(b) shows the output signal in time domain. Here, the pulse gets broadened and the power is reduced. Thus
it is clear from Fig. 4 that the output pulse gets dispersed after passing through the fibre, because the dispersion and
nonlinearities spreads the pulse in optical fibre and hence degrades the signal. Therefore dispersion management is
critical in optical communication systems. One method to suppress this issue is to make use of soliton pulses which
uses nonlinear optical effect to maintain its shape and width in the anomalous dispersion regime.

4.2. Basic system with soliton parameters

Fig. 5 and 6 shows the input and output for the system with soliton parameters respectively.

Fig. 5. Input signal for the system with soliton parameters in (a) Frequency domain; (b) Time domain.
558 Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559

Fig. 6. Undispersed output signal for the system with soliton parameters in (a) Frequency domain; (b) Time domain.

Fig. 6(b) is a plot between power and time for the output signal in time domain. Here, the pulse is not broadened
in time domain; also it maintains its exact width and shape. Thus the results show that the output pulse is
undispersed even after passing through a fibre of length 27.464 km. This shows the presence of soliton which
remains distortionless, because both SPM and GVD cancel out each other. The results show that, due to the exact
compensation between GVD and SPM, the pulse remains chirpless.

4.3. Comparison of Q-factor for the system with and without soliton parameters

Fig.7. Eye diagram for the system (a) Without soliton parameters; (b) With soliton parameters.
Revathy Nagesh et al. / Procedia Technology 25 (2016) 552 559 559

Fig. 7 shows the eye diagram for the system with and without soliton parameters. Here, an eye height of
0.000209567a.u is obtained for the system without soliton parameters. For the system with soliton parameters an
eye height of 0.0229904a.u is achieved. Thus, the eye opening is maximum for the system with soliton parameters.
Fig. 7(a) has poor eye opening, which indicates the presence of noise in the system. Fig. 7(b) has maximum eye
opening which corresponds to minimal signal distortion. Here, a Q-factor of 15.5115dB is achieved for the system
without soliton parameters with a minimum BER of1.23916*10-54. While, for the system with soliton parameters, a
Q-factor of 93.4866dBwith a minimum BER of 0 is obtained. Thus, there is an improvement in Q-factor value by
77.9751dB for the system with soliton parameters compared to that without soliton parameters. Thus, in the system
with soliton parameters, exact compensation is made between dispersion and nonlinearity, as compared to the
system without soliton parameters, where the signal gets broadened due to various linear and nonlinear effects.
Therefore, the optical fibre communication systems with soliton pulses are best suited for dispersion management
and long haul communication as they remain undispersed after travelling long distance.

5. Conclusion

In this paper, the role of solitons in dispersion management is studied and it also compares the system with and
without soliton parameters. A soliton is a special form of light pulses that can be transmitted over long distances
through fibre which maintains its shape. The performance of the system is evaluated based on Q-factor, pulse
broadening and eye diagrams. The results show an improvement in Q-factor value for the system with soliton
parameters compared to the system without soliton parameters. Also, the eye diagram obtained is best for the system
with soliton parameters. It is found that the soliton pulses remain distortionfree due to the exact compensation
between the SPM induced components and the linear broadening induced by GVD. These show that the solitons are
more suitable for high speed long-range communications and can be incorporated in RoF link to suppress dispersion
in RoF systems.

References

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[3] Agrawal Govind P.Nonlinearfibre optics. 5th ed. UK: Academic press;2013.
[4] J R Taylor. Optical Solitons: Theory and Experiment. 1st ed. New York: Cambridge University press; 1992.
[5] Ganapathy R, et al. Soliton interaction under soliton dispersion management.Quantum Electronics, IEEE Journal of 44.4 (2008); 383-390.
[6] Nair S Sreedevi, Vipal Prem. Solitons: A Promising Technology in Optical Communication. International J of Science and Research,vol.03,
no. 01; January 2014.
[7] Mehul G Patel, S B Khant. Soliton Transmission in Fibre Optics for Long Distance Communication. International J of Advanced Research in
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[8] Sharma R L, Ranjit Singh. Solitons, its Evolution and Applications in High Speed Optical Communication. International J on Emerging
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(BEIAC), IEEE; 2013.p. 901-905.
[10] Hamaizi Y, El-Akrmi A. Soliton propagation in fibre systems. 3rd ICTON Mediterranean Winter Conference (ICTON-MW); 2009.

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